This invention relates to systems for moving vehicles along predetermined paths.
Amusement parks often have "dark rides" in which people are seated in boats that float along a channel that carries them past animated displays. The boats are typically moved along the channel by pumping water along the channel. The cross-sectional area of a boat is typically only a small fraction of the cross-sectional area of the water-filled portion of the channel, so that a large amount of water normally must be pumped through the channel. While this transport system provides a smooth and vibration-free ride, it has several disadvantages. The propulsion system is inefficient, and it is difficult to provide sharp turns along the waterway inasmuch as at such turns the water swirls so that it tends to tip the boat rather than propel it and the water also tends to ride up the outer side of an open channel.